Maya to have fast track courts

Shaken by the spate of rape cases in the state that have hogged the headlines nationally, chief minister Mayawati today said that the state government would amend the CrPC to make courts deliver judgments in rape cases within six months of petition filing and make molestation of a woman a non-bailable offence. HT reports.

Shaken by the spate of rape cases in the state that have hogged the headlines nationally, chief minister Mayawati on Tuesday said that the state government would amend the CrPC to make courts deliver judgments in rape cases within six months of petition filing and make molestation of a woman a non-bailable offence.

“Now characterless people would run for their life in the state under the BSP government,” said Mayawati. Here exact words in Hindi were, “Charitraheen, waahiyaat aur badmaash kism ke logon ke ab BSP sarkaar main khair nahin”.

Uttar Pradesh hit national headlines with over eight rapes -- some of them ending in brutal murders or violence -- within 48 hours till Monday night.

In a press conference at her Kalidas Marg residence Mayawati said that now all the police stations would run a month long campaign to mark characterless people and give them time to mend their ways. If they don’t change then the police would act against them.

“I have called a meeting for all the top officers of districts, zones, division and the state to deal on the law and order on June 27. And there we will issue instructions about the one-month police campaign,” she said.

Mayawati, at one go, slammed all the opposition parties for politicizing the incidents of crimes against women to gain political mileage, in the run up to the forthcoming UP assembly elections.

Quoting statistics from National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) she said UP evidently fairs far better than the Congress or BJP ruled states, as far as the crime against women index or rape index was concerned. She further claimed that crimes against women in UP were far less under the BSP government, than the previous Samajwadi Party government.

“It would be better, and I also request the opposition parties, to help better the society than trying to do politics on rapes,” she said. She asked the media to exercise restraint while reporting such incidents and wait and watch for the facts to come out before rushing stories.

“I have full sympathy with all the victims and today I assure them that none of the culprits would be spared. They will face such stringent of actions that no one would dare repeat such acts,” said the chief minister.

She said that she accepts that that the police and administration have been negligent and showed lackadaisical attitude in some cases. Officers and staff have been warned not to remain so.

Mayawati said that in future whenever any such incident takes places, the officers concerned must try to collect right and true information as soon as possible. And media should wait till then.

“Keeping in view of the cases of crime against women, the state government has decided to initiate some necessary amendments in the CrPC (criminal procedure code) 437 and 439 to help delivery of judgment in rape cases in the lower courts within six months of petition filing. We will send the recommendation to the government for this. And make another amendment in CrPC to make crime under section 354 (use of criminal force to outrage modesty of a woman) a non-bailable office. It is bailable at present. We will send recommendation for this as well to the Governor.”